On Nov. 18, the General Administration of Customs of China announced via its website [3] that fresh Iranian kiwifruit meeting the stipulated phytosanitary requirements would be permissible for import into China [4].

According to market data [5] from Statista, Iran harvested 295,140 metric tons of kiwifruit in 2023, making it the world’s fifth-largest producer. Iranian agricultural e-commerce website Aria Export reports [6] that the country has more than 12,000 hectares of kiwifruit orchards, which are primarily concentrated in the north.

Mazandaran province is Iran’s largest kiwifruit production area, accounting for over 70% of the country’s total output. The main varieties include the dominant green-fleshed Hayward as well as yellow-fleshed cultivars. The kiwifruit harvest season typically runs from October through December. Iran’s main export markets currently include Russia, India, and countries in the Persian Gulf, Central Asia and Europe, with the annual export volume totaling around 150,000–180,000 metric tons.

The GACC announcement states that orchards, packaging facilities and cold treatment facilities involved in exporting fresh kiwifruit to China must be inspected by the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture and registered with the GACC. Orchards must establish robust quality management and traceability systems under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture and adhere to good agricultural practices and integrated pest management techniques.

A total of five quarantine pests of concern have been identified by China. These include the Mediterranean fruit fly (Ceratitis capitata), European grapevine moth (Lobesia botrana), fig wax scale (Ceroplastes rusci), and two types of bacteria (Pseudomonas syringae pv. actinidiae and Pseudomonas viridiflava).

The processing, packaging, storage and shipment of fresh kiwifruit for export to China should be carried out under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture or its authorized agents. Packaging and cold storage facilities must maintain high sanitary standards and be equipped to prevent pest reinfestation, such as using insect-proof nets. During packaging, kiwifruit must be washed, brushed, disinfected, sorted and graded, with defective fruits removed, to ensure that shipments are free of insects, mites, rotten fruits, stems, leaves and soil.

To address fruit flies, kiwifruit destined for China must undergo cold treatment under the supervision of the Iranian Ministry of Agriculture or its authorized agents. The cold treatment must follow established protocols and meet one of the following conditions: a fruit pulp core temperature of 1.11 degrees Celsius or below for at least 14 consecutive days, 1.67 degrees Celsius or below for at least 16 consecutive days or 2.22 degrees Celsius or below for at least 18 consecutive days.

Image: Pixabay

This article was translated from Chinese. Read the original article [7].